40
by startnowdobetter
Summary: Nick & Carla. I am fully aware of how dreadful this is, but I haven't been posting on my other stories, so I thought you guys deserved something more regular. I wrote this three years ago, and found it the other week. It will come as no shock that this is yet another baby fic! Chapters will be short, but I hope you enjoy them regardless! Big love xx
1. Chapter 1

_Nick and Carla have been married for around a year, after Nick forgave Carla on their wedding day..._

5

Carla

It was the 31st of December, and I was sitting on the bath waiting for the result. I never really thought that I could be pregnant again, I thought I was too old to be honest. I looked at my watch, only to discover that I had a minute left to wait. My heart was pounding, I think that I was scared this time, not at the prospect of becoming a mum, but of not being pregnant.

It was at that point, I was glad Nick wasn't here. I know that he wants to be a Dad so much, and would be a brilliant one, every time I start to think about asking him to try for a baby, I chicken out. I mean, we're both busy, we've both lost children and it never seems to be the right time, but right now, it seems to be the perfect time. I would love to have a baby with Nick.

I thought about my baby girl, she would be two and a half. Walking, talking, I would be a Mum. Growing up, I always thought that everything happened for a reason, but loosing her seemed so senseless. I soon found a few tears rolling down my cheeks. I wiped them away hastily, before looking at my watch again. It was time. I took a deep breath, before getting up from where I was sat, and walked over to the test that was set on the basin. I clasped my hands over my mouth as I realized - I was pregnant.

I sat down on the sofa, nursing a cup of tea. I was wondering how to tell Nick. I wanted to make it really special. He was at work until about three, I was taking him out for his birthday this evening, telling him that I was going to have a baby, I thought, would be the best present I could ever give him. Now I just needed to find a way that was special enough.

* * *

"Hey." Nick said, opening the door to the flat. "Hey" I replied, as he came to where I was sat, giving me a kiss. "I have a present for you." I told him, smiling. "Haven't you already done enough for me?" Nick asked. "Sit down." I told him, patting the sofa. He sat down next to me, as I took his hands in mine. "I want you to know that whatever happens, I love you." I told him, before handing him a small rectangular box. Inside of it was a stick that would change our lives forever. He opened it carefully and I watched his face light up at what he saw. "Is this?" He asked, picking it up carefully. "You're going to be a Dad!" I smiled, with tears filling both our eyes. He put the box and the test on the table as he embraced me in a hug.

* * *

Nick

"When did you find out?" I asked Carla, as she was lying with me on the sofa, her head on my chest. " A few hours ago." She replied. "I didn't want to say anything, incase I wasn't, I didn't want to get our hopes up." She added softly. "Do you know how many weeks you are?" I asked, as I started to play with her hair. "I don't know." She replied, as she looked up at me. "A few weeks maybe?" She suggested. "Well, I can book you an appointment at the doctors and make sure that you and the baby are alright." I offered, kissing her on the forehead. "I just can't believe it! We're going to be parents!" I beamed.

After Erica I didn't think that I would ever have the chance to have another baby, let alone with Carla, who had lost her own baby, and had been destroyed after that. To be honest, I always knew that there was a possibility that we could have a baby together. We weren't using any protection; we were married, and I had always wanted to be a Dad. I'm determined not to let Carla or our baby down. This is our future, and I cannot wait for what it holds.

**This chapter is very short, as they all will be, but updates on this story will definitely be more regular than the others!**

**Hope you enjoyed! xx**


	2. Chapter2

6

Nick

I woke up to Carla sitting up next to me, I immediately placed my hand on her lower back, a sign that I was up with her. I glanced over at the clock. 6:34. It wasn't that early compared to the hour that we both used to wake up when we were in Weatherfield, but now we were in Devon we were used to getting up much later. "Are you ok?" I asked her, as she placed her head in her hands. My voice was rough as I had only just woken, but I sat up next to her and allowed her to fold into my side. Over the last week, Carla had been feeling sick almost all the time, and it was awful to watch her in such a state, just so that we could have a baby. I felt so guilty, so I made sure that I was there for her all the time, whenever she needed. "Nick, I don't think this is normal anymore." She told me, as I soon realised tears were streaming down her face. "It's alright." I soothed her. I played with her hair, running my hands through it softly. "Do you want me to phone the doctor, see if they can get you an earlier appointment?" I asked her, almost whispering in the hope that she might fall back to sleep. "No, no. I'm sure it'll go in a bit, they could only bring it forward a few hours, I'd rather wait." She replied as I took hold of her hand, she squeezed my hand lightly in reassurance. "I'm going to make you a hot water bottle, that seemed to help yesterday, do you want anything else?" I asked my wife. She shook her head before sitting up straight, allowing me to go into our kitchen. As I flicked the kettle on, I sighed softly. I love Carla so much, and it is so hard watching her go through this. I'm so worried, I just want to take the pain away from her. At least this afternoon we could see the doctor and hopefully make things a little better.

Carla

I was lying on the bed in the corner of the room. The doctor was examining me and I was so scared. Although this pregnancy was looking like it was going to be tough, I wanted Nick and I to be parents so much. I knew that after my last pregnancy there were no certainties, we might not even be able to have children. That was a scary thought, letting Nick down in that way. He'd always wanted kids and I wanted to be the one to give them to him, I needed to be, he'd chosen to be with me, even after everything I did, I just want to give him the family he's always wanted, that he deserves.

After being examined and providing a urine sample, I was told by the doctor that I was definitely pregnant, and it looked like I was around six weeks. Nick held my hand the whole way through the appointment and I had been given some advice about sickness. We booked a scan with the hospital for six weeks' time and things were already looking up, at this point I didn't mind that I felt so sick, I might finally get a baby at the end of this. I could have a family, just me, Nick and our baby.


	3. Chapter3

Nick

I came home early one evening to find Carla curled up on the sofa, talking softly. She had he hand placed on her stomach and I soon clocked that she was talking to the baby. I smiled. The thought of Carla talking to our son or daughter made my heart stop. I was so in love with Carla and I already had so much respect for her. Having a baby was a massive thing for us, but we were ready. I knew that she wanted to move out and get a bigger place, she would drop hints, but wouldn't talk about anything in the future. I understood perfectly, she didn't want to tempt fate, but I knew that she would make the best mum in the world, despite her own reservations. Hearing her talking to our unborn child in a soft and calming tone made me realise that she wanted this more than anything and that's why she didn't want to tempt fate. I didn't want to startle Carla, or dissuade her from talking to the baby in future, so I carefully made my way back to the front door, opening it and closing it harshly to make her aware of my presence.

Carla

It was late in the evening, and Nick and I were both getting ready to go to bed. As I took my top off, I walked over to the full length mirror, which was at the foot of our bed and carefully turned to the side. I was so focused on looking at my stomach that I didn't notice Nick behind me until I felt his arms curl around my waist, placing his hands on my lower stomach. I relaxed into him, closing my eyes as I rested my head on his shoulder. He placed a soft kiss in my hair and I stood up straight, his hands still placed just above my bikini line. "Do you notice a difference?" I asked him as I looked back into the mirror. "I don't know, maybe a slight one." He replied. I smiled, looking from myself to my husband in the mirror. "Today, the baby is the size of a blueberry." I told him proudly, as he smiled softly, his eyes lighting up in excitement. "That's what? Like this big?" He asked me, taking one of his hands away and making a small gap between his thumb and first finger. I turned to face him properly, and he placed a soft kiss on my lips. "I love you so much." I told him, wrapping my hand around his. "I love you too, both of you."


	4. Chapter4

8

Carla

I woke up to a piercing pain in my abdomen. It wasn't too bad, but enough to make my heart sink in fear. I placed my left hand on my stomach, hoping that it would go away, but it didn't after about five minutes. I knew that I wasn't miscarrying, I already knew what that felt like, but this was really uncomfortable. "Nick." I called out, despite the fact that he was laying right next to me. I sat up and faced him. "Nick, I'm cramping." I told him, and he immediately sat up next to me and switched the lamp on. I tried my best to stay calm, but before I knew it, tears were forming. I could no longer hide the fact that I was terrified. Terrified of losing the baby, terrified of letting Nick down. What if I really couldn't have children? What if this was all a sick joke.

Nick

"It's alright, don't panic Carla." I told her. "I looked down to see her clenching her stomach. "I promise you, the baby's fine. I bet this is all normal and that someone is just trying to worry their parents." I told her, placing my right hand on top of hers, smiling lightly. I took the hand that she had over her stomach and placed it into my two. "Right, we're not going to worry too much, ok." I told her. "I'm going to drive us to the hospital, and we're going to get you checked out." I told her, getting up out of bed without so much as a second thought. My heart was beating faster than it ever had before, even when running across Weatherfield.

It was ages until we finally saw a doctor and when Carla went in to get examined, it was the first time that I had looked at the time on my phone. It had just turned half five. I smiled, laughing almost, I don't know whether it was the nerves around the fact that I didn't know what was going to happen or the fact that at just eight weeks old, this baby seemed as if it was determined to make as much trouble as it's mum, not that I minded at all. This was what Carla and I had always wanted, tonight's scare had me so worried that I was now more certain than ever - this is what I wanted. Me, Carla and our baby, living a perfect life in Devon.

It was twenty past seven when we came back home, we had been assured that the cramping was normal and in fact, it was the sign of everything being perfectly fine, and it was probably the start of ligament pain, to show that the baby was growing. The doctor had listened to the baby's heartbeat, which had put Carla's mind at ease. The baby was healthy, and everything was going to be ok. It had to be.


	5. Chapter5

9

Nick

Despite the fact that the baby was healthy, Carla's sickness seemed to be getting even worse. Up until now, she had just been feeling extremely sick, only actually throwing up on the odd occasion, whereas now she seemed to be sick every few hours, which made me really worried. Every time, she would assure me that she was fine, but I wasn't so sure. In the first few weeks, Carla seemed to be glowing, she looked so healthy, but now, she seemed to be as white as a ghost. I tried to make sure that she was eating properly, and drinking plenty to make sure that she wouldn't get dehydrated, but this seemed to make her even worse. I didn't want to fuss over her too much, or suggest seeing a doctor, it would stress her out, but at the same time, I didn't want her or the baby to suffer. I looked online to see what I could do, if anything, to help and the internet suggested to try drinking in-between meals, cutting lemons in half, eating protein-rich foods, vitamins and talking to people that had gone through the same thing. This gave me an idea. Until now, Carla and I had been so careful when phoning our families not to mention the baby, but for Carla, maybe talking to Michelle, or even one of our neighbours about it might be a good idea. I also made a list of things that I would buy when I was next out. Carla wanted to manage the pregnancy on her own, but it seemed as if she needed a little help.

Carla

I had gone back to sleep when Nick had gone out to get some shopping in. I was so tired all the time, as well as not being able to keep anything down, the whole pregnancy so far was just exhausting. I just told myself that it would all be worth it to have a baby with Nick.

I soon woke up when Nick had arrived home, and went into the kitchen to find him putting things away in the cupboard. "Good Morning!" Nick joked, placing a kiss on my head. "You try sleeping at night with a baby inside you making you throw up all the time." I snapped. "Woah, ok. Hormones." Nick laughed slightly, as he wrapped me up in his arms. "I'm sorry." I muttered, resting my head on his chest. "Don't be, I know it's not easy. Which is why I got you some things that will hopefully help." He told me, as he took hold of one of the arms I had wrapped around him, and lead me towards a carrier bag on the work surface. I looked inside to see a range of vitamins and a box of anti-sickness tablets, a mixed bag of various seeds and nuts and a net bag of lemons. "You've also got to drink in between meals, not with meals, try cold food, not hot and phone Michelle." He told me, as I turned and faced him with a somewhat confused look. "I read that it helps to talk with people who have been through the same thing, you told me that Michelle had morning sickness with Ryan." He said, as I nodded. "You can tell her you know, I'm sure she wouldn't tell anyone." He reassured me as I looked at the floor. "I know you don't like it, but it might do you good to talk." Nick told me, placing his hands on my shoulders and massaging them gently. "Couldn't we both go up, see our families, tell them together?" I suggested, not liking the idea of keeping it secret. We knew that the baby was fine and seemed healthy enough. "When were you thinking, after the scan, we could go the weekend after?" Nick suggested to me, his hands still on my shoulders. "What if we went this weekend?" I asked him, as he took his hands away and stood to the side, leaning near the sink. He had a look of surprise on his face. "I would be ten weeks, hopefully feeling better by then, and the baby would be out of the most danger." I told him. "Ok then, why not." He smiled, as I came and hugged him excitedly. I wasn't really sure about telling our families, as soon as the suggestion came out of my mouth, but it might be good to get it out into the open. Or would it?


	6. Chapter6

10

Carla

Nick and I were sat in the car, waiting to go into the Rovers, where Michelle would be with Steve and Liz. He was holding my hand as I stared in front of us. We were parked just outside of Sally's house, practically opposite the pub. "I've changed my mind." I blurted out. "I don't want to tell anyone about the baby." I told him, and he seemed to understand what I was telling him straight away. "It's going to sound completely mad, but I like it being just you and me that know, and I only told Michelle last time because Peter wasn't around and..." I said, before Nick stopped me. "It's ok, you don't need to explain. It'll be nice to keep it to ourselves for a while before we have everyone else sticking their noses in, especially my mother." He said, as I laughed a little, Gail would certainly stick her nose in alright. "We were always going to keep the news quiet until after the scan anyway, there's nothing to worry about. We can tell them whenever you're ready." He smiled.

Nick

As we entered the pub, I could sense Carla's nerves, I took her hand in mine in an attempt to stop her from stressing too much.

We hadn't been back here many times since we moved away, mainly because our decision to still go after the revelation on our wedding day was not a decision that suited everyone, especially my mum. The hormones also seemed to make Carla a little more stressed and emotional, I'm not really sure why, but all I know is that it's my job to be there for her. I want this baby just as much as she does, and it's half my fault that she's pregnant. Those reasons and one final one. I love her so much, and I love the baby so much already, I want her to feel loved and looked after, I don't want her feeling alone like she did during her last pregnancy. I could see that Carla had a little more colour in her than recent weeks, so that filled me with more confidence, maybe the sickness was on it's way out. Cutting lemons in half and having lemon in water seemed to be the most effective out of all the ways to reduce sickness, and the tablets seemed to be working their magic at night. I know that Carla is enjoying the feeling of being pregnant. She's wanted children since she found out that she was pregnant with Peter's baby, but I know that despite the fact that she is having more side effects this pregnancy, she's finding it reassuring, almost as if she knows that the baby is alright.

We only spent a few hours in Weatherfield, after a while talking to Michelle, and having a quick drink in the Rovers with our families, I could see that my mum wasn't that accommodating, and it made Carla quite uncomfortable. I just wanted to get her home and look after her. Before we left, Michelle called Carla into the back, which meant that she could have a break for a few minutes, which I was grateful for.

Carla

I followed Michelle into the back, and she sat me down on the sofa. She smiled gently and placed her hand on my lap. "I know." She told me, which got me a little confused at first. "Michelle?" I asked her, a bit bewildered. "You're pregnant, aren't you?" She asked me, a smile across her face. I didn't give her an answer, I just smiled and looked down towards the floor. "Oh my gosh, Carla!" She shrieked, pulling me in for a hug. "How many weeks?" She asked me, as she took my hand in hers. "Ten." I replied. "Did Nick tell you?" I asked her back, as she shook her head. "I can tell, you're not drinking, you're closer to Nick, you're keeping your hands close to your stomach and you're glowing!" She told me, as I looked down and noticed that my hand was close to my stomach. "Don't tell anyone, not yet. I'm not sure when we're telling people, but it won't be in the next few weeks so, keep it quiet." I warned her, as she hugged me once more. "I can't believe I'm going to be an auntie!" She told me excitedly.

I must admit, having her know felt good, the baby didn't feel like a dirty little secret and I couldn't think of anyone else I would rather know first.


	7. Chapter7

**11**

Nick

It was a Sunday morning, and I had just been out for a run, when I came home to find Carla making us both some breakfast. "Morning beautiful." I greeted her, kissing her passionately. "How are you feeling?" I asked her, as she wrapped her arms around me. "Good." She replied, kissing me back. "How was your run?" She asked me, in between planting soft kisses on my lips. "Exhausting." I told her, as she pulled away from me, slowly and tenderly. "I hope you're not too exhausted." She told me, smiling wikidly. I loved it when she was in a mood like this, which throughout her pregnancy so far, she hadn't been up for hardly anything at all. I could tell that things were going to get heated very quickly, so I turned the oven off and lead Carla to our bedroom.

Carla

It had been ages since Nick and I had done anything physical, I had either been too sick or too tired, but it seemed as if things were going back to normal. We were lying next to each other, in bed as I leant towards Nick, eventually resting my head on his chest. "The baby is the size of a lime." I told Nick, in a soft voice. "Yeah?" He asked me, looking down to face me - as he had previously been gazing up at the ceiling. "Give me your hand." I told him, as he placed his hand in mine. I put the palm of his hand where I knew the baby was laying. "He or she now has ten fingers and ten toes is growing bigger and bigger each day." I told him excitedly, as he smoothed his hand over my growing stomach. It was a nice, comforting feeling. I closed my eyes, hearing Nick spoke softly to our baby.

Nick

I had never actually spoken to the baby before now, I saw it as something Carla did, a mother and baby bonding moment that she loved to have, especially through all the hard times during the pregnancy. But, I enjoyed talking to my unborn child, telling he or she to keep on growing bigger and stronger, telling them that we loved them very much and couldn't wait to meet them. Carla seemed to find it soothing as well, which was a bonus. I watched over Carla as I watched her fall asleep, something that she had been struggling with. At this point, I wasn't too sure whether it was the hormones, or the anxiety of becoming a mother that kept Carla up at night. But as she laid on my chest, as I had my hand placed above where our unborn child was growing, I knew that she was content.


	8. Chapter8

Carla

We sat in the waiting room at the hospital, Nick's hand on my lap for support. It felt strange, a bit like I didn't belong here. "Everything's going to be fine." Nick told me, as if he could read my mind. "I'm so scared." I told him, catching his eye. "There's nothing to be scared of, I promise." He told me, as I looked down and began playing with the rings on my finger. "Just think, in six months time, we're going to be parents." He told me taking my hand.

We were taken into a small room with the ultrasound machine, a small bed and three chairs. I sat on the bed while the nurse asked me some questions, when my last period was, how I was finding things so far and was there anything that she needed to be made aware of before the scan. I looked at Nick, before he nodded at me in reassurance. "I had a miscarriage in June 2014, I lost the baby at around 16 weeks." I said, as Nick took my hand and squeezed it gently, a sign of reassurance. "Ok, was there a particular reason why you lost the baby, Carla?" The midwife asked. I couldn't answer, I felt the back of my throat tighten, I looked at Nick, and he could tell that I was unable to tell her. He got up from the seat he had sat in and put his arm around me, allowing me to rest my head against his chest, a few silent tears falling down my face. "We think that it was stress." Nick said, running a hand through my hair. "There was a lot going on at the time, although I don't think Carla was in the right frame of mind to really find out why it happened." He said. "Well, that's easily sorted, I'm going to see what I can find in your medical notes. Were you under this hospital at the time?" She asked, as Nick shook his head.

Nick

"She was under Weatherfield general." I told the nurse, as she went out of the room. As soon as she left, I sat down next to Carla on the bed and allowed her to place her head on my shoulder. At this point I was almost certain that she had stopped crying. "I just don't want anything to go wrong this time." Carla told me, as she started to play with my fingers, which were placed on my lap. "Nothing will go wrong." I said, brushing off her worry in an attempt to get her to stress less. "Last time was very different." I reminded her. "The baby is going to be healthy and soon enough we're going to be a family." I told her, putting my arm around her back. "I love you." She told me, her voice a tear stained whisper. "I love you too." I reminded her, kissing the top of her head.

When the nurse returned, she returned with a doctor, and told us that he would be conducting the scan, just to put our minds at ease more than anything. Carla leaned back to lie on the bed and she rolled up her top. I sat back down on the chair and took her left hand as it was by her chest, her other hand was underneath her head. "This is going to be a little cold." He told her as he put gel onto Carla's stomach.

Carla

It took what seemed like forever for the doctor to find the baby. He didn't say anything, which made me even more worried, before long, I saw a glimpse of the baby on the screen, before the doctor moved the screen to his direction. "Doctor Solomon is just going to see how baby is doing, take a few readings and measurements, it all seems really healthy at the moment." The nurse told me as I looked at Nick and gave a massive sigh of relief. "I told you, it's all going to fine." He whispered into my ear. It was a few minutes until the nurse spoke again. "You ready to see your baby?" She asked, as I nodded slowly as the doctor turned the screen round. Immediately tears were streaming down my face. "Hi baby." I whispered to the screen, tears forming in my eyes. The doctor left the room, leaving Nick and I with the Nurse, who finished up the rest of the measurements.

Nick

In the car park, Carla and I were sat in the car, staring in awe and amazement at the photograph that Carla held in her hands. "25th of August." She mused. "Fifteen months after we got married." She told me, smiling. "I love you so much, Mrs Tilsley." I told her, catching her lips in a kiss. "And I love you too, little one." I chuckled softly, placing my hand on my wife's stomach. "Makes it all so real now, doesn't it?" She smiled, I could tell she was excited. "Yeah, I suppose it does. All that's left to do now is tell people." I told her. "If you reckon that's all we've got to do, you're going to have a shock in six months time!" She joked. "No nursery, no prepreration, but hey, at least our family knew!" She laughed, as I did with her. "You know what I mean." I reminded her, taking a hold of her hand in mine. "But I promise, it's all on your terms. From now on, it's whatever's right for you, you and the baby." I added, kissing her temple as she leant into my shoulder, and I hoped that she knew I meant every word.


	9. Chapter 9

**Well hello there! It's been a while since I updated this one, but I had a few unpublished chapters on my laptop, so I thought it was time they saw the light of day. I haven't edited them since I initially wrote them, but I hope you enjoy regardless! It is a small update, they were designed to be. I'll publish the next instalment tomorrow! Enjoy x**

13

Nick

Mine and Carla's relationship seemed to be getting even better than it had been before, and Carla had returned to working part time in our restaurant, in the office. None of our family knew about the baby, apart from Michelle, and we had planned to go up in a weeks' time and tell them all.

We had spoken about moving to a house, a nice cottage, like we were going to before the disaster of our wedding day. When we got married, we were going to move into a cottage, but the sale fell through at the last minute, so we bought a flat, mainly so we could just get away. I had started looking for places, without Carla, although she was excited about the baby, she didn't want to start talking about the future so much. I think that she would be cautious until she was at least sixteen weeks, how far gone she was with her baby girl last time. She seemed to already be the perfect mother. She wouldn't drink coffee, and avoided foods that weren't good for her. She was taking vitamins every morning and had been making sure that she got enough sleep. I was so proud of her, I had so much respect and admiration for her and I love her so much.

14

Carla

I was having regular conversations with Michelle about the baby and things were going well. Nick and I decided to travel to Manchester to break the news to our families. We had booked a table at an Italian restaurant in town and we had invited Michelle and Steve, Johnny and Jenny, Kate and Rana, Aidan and Eva, Gail and Michael, Audrey, David, Kylie and the kids and Sarah, Bethany and Harry. We had decided to tell Roy in the afternoon before the meal. Carla had also decided to see Rob. She had been speaking to him on the phone over the last few months and wanted to tell him that he was going to be an Uncle in person.

Nick

It was two in the afternoon when we arrived in Weatherfield, and Carla and I had decided to go and see Roy straight away. He was over the moon when Carla revealed that she was pregnant, we were sat in the flat, and Roy seemed to be genuinely excited for us. I think that having told Roy, Carla seemed happier. It meant a lot to her. In a strange way, Roy was like a father to her and having him know about the baby made it seem more real.

Carla

After we had seen Roy, we had spent about two hours at his catching up, Nick and I both got into the car and Nick drove to the prison. It was strangely familiar, and I was glad that I was going to see Rob. As I had been speaking to him more and more, I realised how much I missed him, especially as we didn't have any family in Devon. I suppose, in time, and with the baby coming, those feelings will slowly be replaced with concerns about mine and Nick's small family.

Nick offered to go in to see Rob with me, but I decided against it, I think I just wanted a chat with my little brother alone, I would probably give Nick chapter and verse later anyway, it might make the journey home go a little quicker. As I walked up to the table, Rob stood up, and gave me a massive hug. "I've missed you so much." He told me, as we reluctantly let go of each other. "You look happy." Rob smiled. "I am." I replied, presenting him with the picture of the baby we received just two weeks ago. "No. No way!" Rob exclaimed. "Is this you telling me I'm going to be an Uncle?" He asked, as I nodded, a tear rolling down my face. Rob's face lit up, and it broke my heart that he wouldn't be around to bond properly with his niece or nephew. He would have made a fantastic father himself, I just had to keep telling myself that giving him up was the right thing to do. "What are you like, eh?" He said, getting up and giving me a hug as soon as he noticed the tears streaming down my cheeks. "Have you told the rest of the family yet?" He asked me, as he sat back down, holding my hand. "Michelle's known for about a month and we told Roy a few hours ago." I answered. "What about Gail, I'm sure she'll have a lot to say. She'll be over you and that baby like a rash." Rob joked, having heard all of the stories I had told him about my mother in law. "You're probably right, it's a good thing that we're heading back tonight." I told him, as his face dropped slightly. "Are you not staying over?" He asked. "No, we'll be coming back down more regularly until the baby comes, so you'll be seeing a little bit more of me. That's if you want to." I told him, as he smiled softly. "Just as long as you're not taking on too much, I don't want you to stress out." Rob told me. "I'm not going to stress, I promise."

Nick

It was ten past six when we arrived at the restaurant. We were late, but everyone else was already here.

Once we had ordered, we were told that the food would be about twenty minutes. Carla looked at me, smiling. I knew we wouldn't be able to keep it a secret all night, especially as both of us weren't drinking.

"So, we didn't just come up for a reunion, we have something we need to tell you all." I announced, which made everyone's chatter turn to silence. "We're having a baby!" I told them all.

Carla

Most of our family were ecstatic, with the exception of one person, Gail. "Are you serious?" She asked, in a condescending tone. "She wouldn't know how to even hold a baby, let alone look after one." She added. "What would you know about anything?" Michelle asked her back, jumping straight to my defence. Soon enough, the whole table erupted in argument. Audrey came up behind me and took me outside, with Kylie following with the kids.

"She was drinking at lunchtime lovey, she doesn't mean it." Audrey said, putting her arm round me as we stood outside. "How far gone are you?" She asked me. "14 weeks." I told her, as Kylie also came up to me. "I bet Nick's over the moon." She smiled. "He is, we both are." I replied, looking over my shoulder to the door of the restaurant. "I'm going to go back in, see I it's calmed down." I told them both. "I'll go with you." Kylie said as Audrey took the children and followed us inside.

We noticed that Gail was getting her coat as we walked back over to the table. "Gail, please don't leave on my account." I said as she was approaching where we were. "I think it's for the best." She told me, as she left the room. "Nick, I want to go." I told him, grabbing hold of his arm. "Alright, we'll go." He told me, picking up our jackets, before leaving our family in the restaurant.

Nick

I gave Carla the car keys and I watched her leave the restaurant. Despite the fact that they needed no explanation, I said goodbye to everyone and joined Carla in the car. We drove back home to Devon that night, and I watched over her as she fell asleep in the car. She was exhausted, she had been trying to hide the fact that she was getting more tired and emotional, but she should have known that I don't blame her. Not one bit. At that moment, as I glanced over at my sleeping wife, I was so angry at my mother, Carla didn't deserve this, I loved her so much and had so much respect and admiration for her at this moment in time, I just don't know why she wasn't happy for us, she had said before that Carla and I would make great parents.

**Twitter: Lost_Buoy**


	10. Chapter 10

**A short but sweet instalment! Enjoy x**

15

Nick

It had been a week since the disaster meal in Weatherfield and I had been trying to keep Carla's focus on our little family. She was talking to Rob almost every day and Michelle was texting all the time. I had arranged for Kate and Aidan to come round at the end of the week. I didn't want to overcrowd Carla and thought that family shaped surprise might do her good. She had a small bump, that was only just noticeable from certain angles, not that she seemed to mind.

Carla

It was Friday evening, and there was a knock at the door. Nick was in the kitchen, making some tea, so I got up and answered the door. "Hi sis!" Aidan greeted, as I almost immediately wrapped my arms around him. I then went to hug Kate, who I noticed was holding an overnight bag. "Surprise!" Nick said, coming out from the kitchen. "You knew?" I asked him, a wide smile across my face. "Of course, I've set up the spare room because they're going to be staying with us." Nick explained, taking Kate's bag off of her, as Aidan closed the front door behind Kate.

Nick

I went into the kitchen and finished preparing dinner, lasagne, as Carla went into the living room to catch up with her siblings. They were both planning on staying until Sunday afternoon, which gave them the whole weekend to do whatever they liked. It seemed to cheer Carla up, which was the main thing.

16

Carla

Nick and I were lying next to each other. It was a Thursday morning, and we had both taken the day off work, we wanted to get a few things sorted, mainly we wanted to start looking at houses. I still had twenty three weeks until my due date, but I knew that that would go by fast enough. On top of that, we needed to start thinking about things for the baby, and things for me. My clothes were starting to get tighter and I wanted to start thinking about a birth plan, not that I had mentioned this to Nick.

Later on that day, we had gone to the local estate agent and picked up some brochures. When we had been home for about an hour, I decided to approach the issue of giving birth to Nick. As much as it was a scary thought, I knew that it needed to be thought about. "Nick." I spoke softly, as he was carefully flicking through the brochure. "Can we talk about the baby? About the birth?" I asked, as he turned to face me, a little shocked that I was asking him to talk about it. "Have you decided what you want to do?" He asked me, putting the pamphlet on the coffee table. "I think so." I told him honestly, as he took my hand. "Do you want me to make a list?" He asked me, as I nodded in response.

Nick

I got up and took a notepad and a pen from a draw at side of the room, and sat back down next to Carla. I was glad she was talking about the baby, she seemed to be talking about it more and more this week, I think she saw week sixteen as a danger mark, and now she was surpassing it, it made her feel a lot better.

**Twitter: Lost_Buoy**


End file.
